Welcome to the Heat Dome

HELLO, I'M JENNIFER CRAWFORD. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. AS MILLIONS OF AMERICANS ARE MAKING THEIR 4TH OF JULY HOLIDAY PLANS. THE WEATHER COULD PLAY SPOILER FOR SOME OUTDOOR CELEBRATIONS ALONG WITH MOST OF THE NATION. FLORIDA REMAINS IN A HEAT DOME THAT LEADS TO THE FEELS LIKE TEMPERATURE TO BE IN THE TRIPLE DIGIT CLIMATE CHECK SAYS A HEAT DOME OCCURS WHEN A HIGH-PRESSURE SYSTEM PARKS OVER A SPECIFIC REGION AND TRAPS HEAT AND HUMIDITY. MUCH LIKE WHEN YOU PUT A LID ON A POT FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK AND WELL INTO THE WEEKEND, TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO BE 4 DEGREES ABOVE AVERAGE, BUT IT WILL FEEL EVEN HOTTER AS HIGH AS 110 DEGREES. WGCUS TEDDY BYRNE HAS MORE. >> FOR MORE ON THE HEAT ACROSS FLORIDA AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOUR HOLIDAY WEEKEND PLANS. I'M JOINED BY IRENE SANZ CERTIFIED METEOROLOGIST WITH F PRINT THE SANDS. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. THANK YOU SO MUCH. SO NOW SOUTHWEST FLORIDA, LIKE THE REST OF THE NATION IS UNDER THIS MASSIVE HEAT DOME. SO WHAT IS THE IMPACT? THIS WEATHER PHENOMENA IS HAVING ON TEMPERATURES ACROSS FLORIDA AND THE REST OF THE NATION. >> WELL, RIGHT NOW, LIKE YOU SAID, WE ARE UNDER A HEAT, THOUGH. IT'S BASICALLY A WIDE HIGH-PRESSURE SYSTEM THAT IT WILL SIT IN THE SAME PLACE FOR A WHILE. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TEMPERATURES THAT WILL CONTINUE TO BE WELL ABOVE AVERAGE FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. TEMPERATURES AT THAT WILL BE BEATING RECORDS ARE 2 VERY LEAST TYING RECORDS ACROSS MAINLY THE MID-ATLANTIC AND THE NORTHEAST. WHY? BECAUSE THE CENTER OF THIS HIGH-PRESSURE SYSTEM, IT'S RIGHT OVER THIS NOW FOR US, WE ARE STILL GETTING SOME OF THE CREW. THE PARALLEL IMPACTS OF THIS BILL WHERE BASICALLY A PROTECTION FROM ANY SORT OF FRANCE AND THAT BRAIN, NUMEROUS SHOWERS WILL BE GUESTS. WE ARE STILL GET IN A FEW SHOWERS, ESPECIALLY IN THE AFTERNOON WITH THOSE THE TYPICAL AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS. BUT OVERALL CONDITIONS WILL STAY DRIER THAN USUAL, ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE SOUTH, FLORIDA AND ACROSS SOUTHWEST FLORIDA. WE DON'T HAVE ANY FRONTS COMING IN AND THE WINDS, THE WINDS ARE ME OUT OF THE EAST SOUTHEAST, WHICH WILL KEEP THE HOTTEST TEMPERATURES MAINLY FOCUSED ACROSS SOUTHWEST FLORIDA. WHY? BECAUSE US, THOUGH, WENTZ ACROSS THE LAND, IT WARMS THE LAND THIS WAY WARMER IN THE OCEANS. WE KNOW THIS AND IT TAKES A WHILE FOR THE TO THE AIR TO WARM SE LEACH'S SOUTHWEST FLORIDA IN ARRIVES WITH THEM. LOTS OF HEAT. THAT'S WHY THE WARMEST TEMPERATURES WHEN THE WHENS ARMENIA MAINLY OUT OF THE EAST-SOUTHEAST, STAY FOCUSED ACROSS SOUTHWEST FLORIDA. SO WE HAVE ALL THESE UP INGREDIENTS TO HAVE A LOT OF HEAT. AND OF COURSE, WITH THE HUMIDITY IN PLACE WHERE TALKING ABOUT HEAT INDICES, THAT WILL BE ANYWHERE BETWEEN 100 TO ONE OF 5 DURING THE PEAK HOURS OF THE DAY, WHICH IS BETWEEN 12:08PM. >> SO HOW COMMON ARE THESE? I MEAN, WE'RE USED TO THE HEAT AND HUMIDITY DOWN HERE, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE THIS IS KIND OF BRING A LITTLE EXTRA SURGE IN WHAT WE'RE USED TO IN THIS AREA. IS THIS SOMETHING THAT WILL FREQUENTLY HAPPENING OR IS THIS A RARE OCCURRENCE? IT HAPPENS. >> IT HAPPENS ALL. WE WERE TALKING A SETUP IN THE MIDDLE AND UPPER LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE THAT STAYS IN PLACE. WHEN WE HAVE POSITION RIGHT UNDER THE HIGHPRESSURE SYSTEM OR NEARBY, THAT'S WHERE WE GET THE WARMEST TEMPERATURES. AND THE THING IS THAT WITH THIS HIGH-PRESSURE SYSTEM, IT'S WHAT WE USUALLY AND OMEGA BLOCK. IT'S THAT THE GREEK LETTER OMEGA. SO WE HAVE A HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM AND 2 LOW-PRESSURE SYSTEMS. THE PROBLEM IS THIS THAT WE ARE UNDER OR NEAR THE HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM AND WHEN WE HAVE TO SET UP THIS OMEGA BLOCK SET UP. IT TENDS TO STAY WITHIN THE RELATIVES, THE SAME AREA FOR SEVERAL DAYS, SOMETIMES UP 2 WEEKS, WHICH WE SAW THAT HAPPENED IN EUROPE RECENTLY. NOW WITH THIS OMEGA SET UP THIS HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM THAT WILL MOVE SLOWLY. WE HAVE SEEN IT SLOWLY CREEP UP BETWEEN THEM IN THE MIDWEST. THE GREAT LAKES AREA. NOW DURING THE LATTER PART OF THIS WEEK WILL BE MAINLY FOCUSED ACROSS THE NORTHEAST AND THE MID-ATLANTIC. NOW FOR US. WE ARE BASICALLY GET IN THE REMNANTS OF THE SYSTEM BECAUSE HE'S SO WIDE THAT FLORIDA JUST SITS IN THE BOTTOM FOR PRETTY MUCH THE WHOLE WEEK. SO WE ARE EXPECTING TEMPERATURES TO ABOVE AVERAGE FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. NOW, DURING THIS WHOLE WEEK. AND OF COURSE, OF THIS SET UP TENTS TO BE MORE COMMON IN THE SUMMERTIME AREA IN THE SUMMERTIME BECAUSE THIS ALSO THE PATENT CHIPS, RIGHT? WE GET MORE SUNLIGHT. WE GET MORE MORE MORE TIME FOR THE DAY TOO, TO WARM UP. AND OF COURSE, THE WINTER AND PLAYS THE HUMIDITY STAYS IN WHEN LIKE THIS THAT CAN MENTION BEFORE WE HAVE THIS HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM SIT IN THE SAME PLACE FOR A WHILE. WE DID NOT GET ANY FRONTS MOVING IN WHICH ALSO THEY TEND TO BECOME RARE DURING THE SUMMERTIME. >> SO ARE WE ABLE TO TRACK THIS CURRENT SYSTEM GET AN IDEA OF HOW LONG IT MIGHT LINGER FOR? I MEAN, CAN THIS BE OVER MAYBE BY THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND, CELEBRATIONS OR IS THIS SOMETHING HUMAN NEED TO HUNKER DOWN ON AND INVEST IN A GOOD PAIR OF SHORTS AND FLIP-FLOPS? ARE THE FUTURE. >> DEFINITELY INVEST IN THEM. WE ARE VERY STARTING WITH SUMMER. WE ARE ONLY WHAT A FEW THEY SUN OFFICIALLY RIGHT. BUT WE KNOW THAT THE THE WARMEST, THOUGH WEEKS ARE STILL RULING THE MEAN THAT WE STARTED WITH A WARM SUMMER, THAT LITTLE STALE WARM ALL SUMMER. BUT WE HAVE RECEIVED SEVERAL HEAT ADVISORIES THROUGHOUT THIS YEAR. DEFINITELY NOT AS MANY AS IN 2024, BUT WE ARE COUNTING THE HEAT ADVISORIES AND ACROSS SOUTHWEST FLORIDA. WE ARE ROUNDING UP IN THERE WHERE WE'RE ANYWHERE BETWEEN 6 TO 8 HEAT ADVISORIES THAT HAVE BEEN ISSUED SO FAR THIS YEAR. WE'RE NOWHERE NEAR THE RECORD AMOUNT OF HEAT ADVISORIES THAT ARE ISSUED BACK IN 2024. BUT WE CAN EXPECT THEM TO TO TO APPEAR SEVERAL TIMES MORE THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER. SO DEFINITELY INVEST IN SHORTS, THE HYDRATED AND THIS IS ALL THROUGHOUT THE DAY. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL YOU'RE THIRSTY TO DRINK TO DRINK WATER BECAUSE ONCE YOUR THURSDAY COULD BE TOO LATE ALREADY. AND OF COURSE, TRY TO LIMIT YOUR TIME OUTDOORS, ESPECIALLY DURING PEAK HOURS OF THE DAY AND TAKE THE SPREADS, ESPECIALLY FOR ALL THOSE WHO SPEND MORE TIME OUTDOORS. SO WORKERS, ANY ANY ACTIVITIES THAT HE TOO OUT THERE WITH THE KIDS OR WELL WITH THE ELDERLY, WHICH THEY CAN TO BE MORE VULNERABLE. >> SO NOW YOU DID MENTION SOME OF THE BRUSH FIRES THAT FLORIDA HAS BEEN DEALING WITH ITS COMING OFF. WHAT HAS BEEN A RECORD DROUGHT SEASON FOR THE STATE IN THE LAST MONTH OR 2. SO HOW IS THIS CURRENT HEATWAVE IMPACT IN THE DROUGHT AND, YOU KNOW, THE AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS ARE RETURNING, BUT ARE THEY MAKING A DENT IN HELPING US? >> THEY HAVE HELPED HIM IN A BIT. THAT THING IS THAT FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE OVERALL, MOST OF THEIR ACTIVITY HAS STAYED IN THE INTERIOR. SO ALTHOUGH WE HAVE SEEN AN IMPROVEMENT IN A DROUGHT ACROSS MUCH OF FLORIDA, IN FACT, NO REGION OF FLORIDA IS NOW UNDER AN EXTREME JARRED, WHICH IS GREAT NEWS. WE'RE STILL GOING TO HAVE VERY HOT TEMPERATURES. SO ANY. LITTLE BIT OF RAIN OF MOISTURE THAT THE GROUND HAS ACCUMULATED. WITH THE HEAT. IT EVAPORATES. SO AS SO WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE DROUGHT. THERE'S STILL PLENTY OF DRY VEGETATION OUT THERE. WE DEFINITELY SEE THAT THE LAST FIRE THAT STARTED ACROSS WESTERN BROWARD COUNTY WAS STARTED BY LIGHTNING. SO THAT TELLS US THAT THERE'S STILL PLENTY OF DRY VEGETATION OUT THERE. SO EVEN THOUGH YOUR CATEGORY MET MIGHT HAVE IMPROVED IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS ACROSS SOUTHWEST FLORIDA. YOU STILL HAVE TO BE CAREFUL WITH ANY BURN BANS THAT COULD BE IN EFFECT OR EVEN IF THERE'S NOT A ONE IN EFFECT IN YOUR COUNTY OR IN YOUR OWN IN YOUR CITY, YOU HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL, ESPECIALLY WITH THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND. COMING UP, WE KNOW THAT THERE'S GOING TO BE A LOT OF FIREWORKS. MAKE SURE YOU EXTINGUISH THOSE VERY CAREFULLY BECAUSE ANY LITTLE SPARK COULD SPARK COULD IGNITE A FIRE. AND IF WE HAVE THE WINDS BLOWING A LITTLE BIT HARD, HE JUST PROPAGATE RAPIDLY AND IT CAN BECOME REALLY DANGEROUS. >> WIRING STANDS WITH EFREN. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. >> AS THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER CONTINUE TO SIMMER, YOU CAN STAY UP TO DATE WITH ALL OF THE WEATHER AND ENVIRONMENTAL STORIES BY VISITING OUR WEBSITE AT WGCU DOT ORG. COMING UP, JUST THE FUTURE OF AMERICAN POLITICS. LIE IN THE HANDS OF THE DIGITAL GENERATION. WHY MEMBERS OF GEN Z YOU'RE BEING TARGETED WITH A NEW CAMPAIGN INDEED, GETTING THEM OUT TO THE POLLS THIS YEAR.